Johannesburg - South African rugby enjoyed a happy weekend as all of their sides progressed to the Round of 16 of the Heineken Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup, with the next stage’s match-ups confirmed on Sunday night.
The Bulls, Cheetahs, Lions, Sharks and Stormers all qualified for the knockout rounds of their respective tournaments in their debut season of European Professional Club Rugby.
The Sharks and Bulls both finished in the Top 8 of Pool A, but will have vastly different tasks in the next round. The Durbanites will host Munster in their last 16 clash at Hollywoodbets Kings Park, while the men from Pretoria will have to muster their best and most in-form players for a trip to the powerful, Top 14-topping Toulouse.
The Sharks finished third in their pool thanks to Edinburgh beating Saracens 20-14 in the final match of the group stage on Sunday night. All three teams – the Sharks, Edinburgh and Saracens – finished level on 15 points, but with the Sharks sporting the superior points difference.
In Pool B of the Champions Cup, the Stormers finished third with 15 points with three victories and one loss, and will face English club Harlequins at Cape Town Stadium in the next round.
Meanwhile, in the Challenge Cup, the Emirates Lions finished third in Pool B with 12 points after two wins, a loss and a draw. They will face French Top 14 side Racing 92, who finished 10th in Pool A of their Champions Cup group, at Emirates Airline Park.
The Cheetahs scraped through to the KO rounds with an uninspired 9-6 victory over Pau after flyhalf Siya Masuka slotted over a penalty in the final play of their match on Sunday night. The Bloemfontein-based side finished sixth in Pool B with 10 points (two victories and two losses), sneaking through to the next round.
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They celebrated wildly in Parma, where they were based for the competition, but their joy might have been short-lived after it was confirmed that they will face Pool A winners Toulon at Stade Mayol.
The Last 16 fixtures in both tournaments are scheduled to be played at the end of March and start of April. The EPCR will confirm dates and times for the matches as soon as possible.
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Heineken Champions Cup Round of 16 fixtures
March 31 – April 2: Leinster Rugby v Ulster; Exeter Chiefs v Montpellier; Sharks v Munster; Saracens v Ospreys; Leicester Tigers v Edinburgh; Stormers v Harlequins Toulouse v Bulls; La Rochelle v Gloucester
EPCR Challenge Cup Round of 16 fixtures
March 31 – April 2: Toulon v Cheetahs; Glasgow Warriors v Dragons; Cardiff Rugby v Sale Sharks; Bristol Bears v ASM Clermont Auvergne; Stade Francais v Lyon; Lions v Racing 92; Benetton v Connacht; Scarlets v CA Brive
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